Christina Waters

No kidding - Paul Cocking told me that he’s interested in moving on, changing the pace of his life — the exhausting hours involved in restaurant work! — and perhaps even changing careers entirely.

Gabriella Cafe is definitely for sale, so if you can put together a group interested in keeping the culinary genius of chef Sean Baker in our downtown, give Paul a call at 831/457-1677.

(Check out my profile of Gabriella’s pastry chef Jessica Yarr in last week’s Metro Santa Cruz.)

John Locke - not the British Empiricist philosopher but the mischievous Santa Cruz wine wonk - is setting a brisk pace in Soif’s upper room with his Sunday evening wine classes. After taking Locke’s high-powered wine and cheese workshop last fall, I was more than ready to dive into the oenological demimonde.

Why not begin at the beginning, I figured, and signed myself up for all three of Locke’s Wine Basics workshops. Twice a month a dozen of us are put through our tasting paces by the maestro, who introduced us to the crisp flavors of northern France, Germany and Austria last time. We learned about soils, about mineral tones, about just how to-die-for a Sancerre can be (more…)

Come on – even anorexic starlets have handlers and trainers who make sure they’re ready for their close-ups. Why can’t the powerful and brilliant Mrs. Clinton get herself some consultants on image, attitude and rhetoric?

Hillary – it’s time for your make-over. Here’s a place to start. First, lose that strident royal blue suit. Now! Even Margaret Thatcher in her most cojones-of-steel days couldn’t have pulled off that ugly, ugly color. Start wearing more of that luscious brown, sunny yellow and warm coral.
Okay. Next. Stop yelling. And stop speaking in slow, carefully-measured monotones. Loosen it up – tell the folks how you feel, what you care most deeply about – and don’t keep blaring “Universal Health Care.” Honey, UHC has all the sex appeal of a used coffee filter.
Of course we all want universal health care, but let’s fill that stuff in after you’ve won the election. Right now the folks want eye contact and the colorful details of your personal mission. (Like you’re doing here, in this terrific AP photo.)
Tell us stories. (more…)

Or at least that’s the rhetoric du jour being hustled in the O-Ring. Like many demagogues, the tall, dark candidate is a Rorschach for the disappointed entitlement of the masses. (Is there a Leni Riefenstahl in the house?) He appeals to “those who want to believe,” he says. Believe in what? He reaches out “to those who believe in change.” But change from what, to what? Without any content, he can be all things to all people, just like other demagogues who whipped “the people” into a frenzy over a half century ago. But then, hey, who remembers that stuff? It’s the past, and in this post modern climate, the past is just a four-letter word. (more…)

The man at the helm of the mighty Diedrich coffee roasting technology — located inside the sleek, aromatic Coffee Cat coffee house in Scotts Valley — is Rory Phares. Here he’s checking on the roasting temperature for a batch of Colombian beans. You can smell the intense perfume, can’t you? If you’re up anywhere near Coffee Cat on Saturday mornings, check out the roasting action — and don’t forget to try one of the superb house macchiotti. Coffee Cat - brought to you by the Lulu Carpenter’s javanistas - 255 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley (831/439-0700).

If you look around you might just spot a 21st century Simone de Beauvoir or Jean-Paul Sartre sitting and scribbling something deep at one of the little tables on the deck of River Cafe, at 415 River Street in Santa Cruz. The perfect spot to soak up a bit of winter light, the deck here is the perfect oasis for enjoying a bracing espresso and one of those dense, moist fruit breads. Homemade temptation is the house specialty here.

On the east side of town, Black China Bakery has expanded its chic cafe into part of the indoor gallery space it shares with Ironwood. The colorful renovation — including vermillion and chartreuse walls lined with terrific plants and original artworks — is the top spot to enjoy organic salads, fragrant soups and panini starting at 11am every day except Monday.

And in the mornings, of course, Black China lives to seduce you into one of those peerless cranberry scones and some lascivious espresso drink or other. Black China Bakery Cafe is tucked behind Ironwood at 1121 Soquel Avenue - open Tues-Fri from 7am until 5pm, Sat & Sun from 9-4, and open on Mondays for 7-11am breakfasts.

Trends and Issues in the Food Industries is the title of Shirley Tessler’s exciting new Cabrillo College culinary arts class exploring contemporary issues involved in the production, processing and sale of food products. Starting next Tuesday, Feb. 12, the class runs weekly from 3:30-5:40pm, and will feature the expertise of weekly guest lecturers. Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry Farms will talk about the challenges of growing organic foods while still making a living. Beekeeper Bob Miller talks about the decline in honeybee populations, Dennis Takahashi-Kelso of the Ocean Conservancy will deconstruct aquaculture and sustainable fishing. And more! All fascinating, and important state-of-the-art discussions. For more info and registration see check out Cabrillo’s CAHM program.

Limoncello, O’mei, Shadowbrook:

Three of us checked out the very tempting $19.47, three-course dinner at Shadowbrook last night. Yum, in a word. The price is a budget-friendly reference to the founding year of this landmark - and to celebrate 60 years of hospitality expertise, this prix fixe offer continues on Sundays through April.

The deal is you get your choice of appetizers - we all went for the Caesar salad rather than artichoke soup - and a choice of dessert. I liked my moist bread pudding — the others swilled vanilla bean ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Low cal. (more…)

Finally a candidate offering just what we want – our own self-esteem. Taller, slimmer, younger, he’s exactly what America wants to be. The culturally-approved facade. The kind of self-image sold on television - “only three easy payments of $19.95!”

In his empty mirror we find the reflection we want – ourselves, only younger, taller, slimmer – and a politically-correct hue to boot. This American idol speaks not in issue-driven strategies, but in YouTube-friendly sound bites. “Change!” How much easier is that to absorb than actual discussion, dialogue, analysis?

America seems to want a candidate that could pose for the cover of GQ while simultaneously not saying anything to offend anyone. Not saying anything. For the self esteem generation, that’s, dude, like totally so awesome!

A high-testesterone cast, a terse script crafted from a Cormac McCarthy western, and the mordant humor of the Coen brothers — No Country for Old Men is as close to flawless as it gets. Go see it just to see why Tommy Lee Jones’ face is a national treasure. Go see it and discover why Josh Brolin is about to become the next rugged leading man. And above all go see it to savor a searing performance by the brilliant Javier Bardem, whose cold-blooded mob assassin is a rock solid gem. Think Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver — now throw in a mesmerizing moral code and loads of Latin sex appeal.

No Country is bloody, edgy, absurd, wise — an existential masterpiece. Coen to the core.